Former Nova Scotia Liberal to donate pay from vacation to two charities

CP

HALIFAX - A former Liberal member of the Nova Scotia legislature says he’s donating his April pay to two charities.

In a letter sent Friday by Manning MacDonald to House Speaker Gordie Gosse, MacDonald says he hopes this will end the attempt by the House of Assembly management commission to have him pay taxpayers.

MacDonald says the contributions will be split evenly between the Every Woman’s Centre in Sydney and the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation.

He says the contributions will be based on the days he was absent from the House in April, when he was on vacation in Florida.

MacDonald also says he won't take advantage of the taxable benefits resulting from the contributions.

The commission unanimously approved a motion Thursday to dock MacDonald's pay, although NDP deputy premier Frank Corbett conceded that it might not result in the recovery of any money since MacDonald abruptly resigned Wednesday.

Members from all three parties voted in favour of the motion, pending legal advice about whether it has the ability to dock the pay of retired politicians.

Corbett put forward the motion to dock MacDonald's salary for the 20 days he was absent without permission.

But he later said he had been told by the Speaker's Office that it was unlikely they could demand the salary.